"Budget for All" Fosters Growth, Ryan Budget Fosters Disaster

House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) is at it again with another disastrous federal budget proposal. Ryan’s plan lacks foresight, and common sense. It focuses exclusively on cutting programs without attempting to address the real need for raising revenue. While Ryan trumpets that his plan would cut spending by $5.3 trillion, he neglects to admit that it would also decrease revenue by roughly $4 trillion.

“Budgets, whether modest family budgets or trillion dollar government budgets, represent core values,” said Don Kusler, Executive Director of Americans for Democratic Action. “The Ryan budget clearly puts the wants of the Wall Street 1% ahead of essential services and the needs of seniors, students, and the 99%.”

While Ryan proposes tax cuts (mainly for the wealthy), at the expense of seniors, the disabled and children, the Congressional Progress Caucus (CPC) has put together a real-solutions budget alternative which looks out for all of us. The CPC full alternative budget, titled the Budget for All, was released yesterday and balances proven job creation initiatives without cutting safety-net programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. It also includes popular reforms like public financing of congressional and presidential elections, progressive taxation and a health care public option.

“Our budgets mean schools, firehouses and hospitals stay open and people get the education and job training they need to find good jobs when they’re ready,” stated Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), co-chair of the CPC. “Cutting billions from public education, low income health care, school nutrition and public services and giving the money to big corporations isn’t making a tough choice. It’s a choice that’s going to make it tougher for a lot of working Americans, but that’s not the same thing."

ADA, representing tens of thousands of members nationwide, stands in firm support of the Budget for All proposal, a budget actually for all Americans.